Commuting from Downtown Chicago to UChicago? Forum

[sundance1988]

Is anyone familiar with the commute from downtown Chicago to the law school? Does anyone actually live downtown and commute or do most people live much closer to the school? Any advice would be great. I've only been to Chicago once so I am clueless.

[dresden doll]

I've done this both years. It's manageable although you'll easily lose an hour in each direction unless you opt for South Loop. My second year I lived right by North Michigan and commuted a little over an hour in each direction most days. It's not always fun, but avoiding HP was sufficiently important to me to justify the time investment.

[tycho_brahe]

what do you mean by downtown? with or without car?

[Tiresias]

Perhaps this will help. My previous school was in downtown Chicago and I lived north of th city close to public transportation. It would take me about an hour to get to school. I thought pros outweighed the cons. I liked using the train ride to review my materials for class in the morning. I preferred this over rolling out of bed and being at the school.

If you live in downtown chicago, parking will always be a concern for you. If you plan on driving to campus, you have to factor in finding a parking spot into your time. Also, if you plan on taking public transportation, you should know that the Red Line gets very crowded by the time it gets into the city. Finding a seat will probably be impossible.

I think your best bet is finding a nice neighborhood on the south side.

[Corwin]

I've done this both years. It's manageable although you'll easily lose an hour in each direction unless you opt for South Loop. My second year I lived right by North Michigan and commuted a little over an hour in each direction most days. It's not always fun, but avoiding HP was sufficiently important to me to justify the time investment.

It was worth 2 hours each day so you didn't have to live in Hyde Park?

[ToTransferOrNot]

I've done this both years. It's manageable although you'll easily lose an hour in each direction unless you opt for South Loop. My second year I lived right by North Michigan and commuted a little over an hour in each direction most days. It's not always fun, but avoiding HP was sufficiently important to me to justify the time investment.

It was worth 2 hours each day so you didn't have to live in Hyde Park?

Hyde Park is pretty terrible.

[09042014]

But Downtown isn't so great either. Then again I think South of Roosevelt is the Killing Fields.

[ToTransferOrNot]

But Downtown isn't so great either. Then again I think South of Roosevelt is the Killing Fields.

I'm counting days until I can finally move to the south loop in 2012. Third year in Hyde Park this coming year... if only death would come swiftly.

[Transferthrowaway]

I'm trying to decide between living in HP or south loop now.

[Emma.]

I've done this both years. It's manageable although you'll easily lose an hour in each direction unless you opt for South Loop. My second year I lived right by North Michigan and commuted a little over an hour in each direction most days. It's not always fun, but avoiding HP was sufficiently important to me to justify the time investment.

It was worth 2 hours each day so you didn't have to live in Hyde Park?

It isn't worth it for most 1Ls, IMO. Hyde Park is pretty boring, but it isn't really unsafe. There isn't much going on as far as bars and restaurants, and even though it is pretty easy to get downtown I still felt like HP was pretty isolated. I'm excited to be up north for my 2L year.

[bjsesq]

I've done this both years. It's manageable although you'll easily lose an hour in each direction unless you opt for South Loop. My second year I lived right by North Michigan and commuted a little over an hour in each direction most days. It's not always fun, but avoiding HP was sufficiently important to me to justify the time investment.

It was worth 2 hours each day so you didn't have to live in Hyde Park?

It isn't worth it for most 1Ls, IMO. Hyde Park is pretty boring, but it isn't really unsafe. There isn't much going on as far as bars and restaurants, and even though it is pretty easy to get downtown I still felt like HP was pretty isolated. I'm excited to be up north for my 2L year.

Does this mean we might actually be able to hang out?

[Tiresias]

Just to clarify, I did not attend U of Chi. If I did, my commute would be longer, even doubled.

As for whether it was worth my commute time, absolutely. I would not have traded it to live closer. The only time it became a hassale was on the way back home. But it also gives some good, and much needed, decompression time.

Also, you need to see the South Side for yourself. Anyone who is giving their opinion without actually knowing or seeing the area is not worth listening to.

[Emma.]

I've done this both years. It's manageable although you'll easily lose an hour in each direction unless you opt for South Loop. My second year I lived right by North Michigan and commuted a little over an hour in each direction most days. It's not always fun, but avoiding HP was sufficiently important to me to justify the time investment.

It was worth 2 hours each day so you didn't have to live in Hyde Park?

It isn't worth it for most 1Ls, IMO. Hyde Park is pretty boring, but it isn't really unsafe. There isn't much going on as far as bars and restaurants, and even though it is pretty easy to get downtown I still felt like HP was pretty isolated. I'm excited to be up north for my 2L year.

Does this mean we might actually be able to hang out?

I'm ready when you are.

[bjsesq]

I'm ready when you are.

PM me your #

[scat_cat]

Here comes the HP defender!

Whether you'll like HP depends very much on what you're looking for in a neighborhood. In my experience, people who are used to suburbs hate HP--it's a little too gritty. But other people's milage varies enormously. I adore HP and I'm going to miss it. It has beautiful, interesting architecture and a lot of trees and parks, it's right on the lake, it's bike friendly, it's hugely diverse (I'm taking race and family status; economically it's actually a pretty wealthy area), there's an abundance of very cheap entertainment options for students (especially classical concerts, theater, and movies), and cost of living is low (except for groceries, which are weirdly expensive). Don't live in Regents.

I'm from somewhere with terrific nightlife, and HP does not have that, but there are two bars packed with grad students and one that's got a nutty, entertaining clientele. The bar scene in the rest of Chicago is pretty fratty and lame, anyway: too many big-screen TVs, weak pours, lame beer selection (with some notable but scattered exceptions).

I will admit that HP has terrible restaurants and the rest of Chicago is full of good restaurants. But you are a student and won't be able to afford to eat out all the time anyway.

I'm just incredulous whenever anyone without an SO thinks they want to live outside HP for the first year. The commute isn't worth it. It's harder to read on buses than trains, and if you take Metra from downtown you'll have to walk a ways in addition to the train. Plus the student body just refused to pay for a transit pass, so you'll have to shell out for the commute. It's impossible to read in a car and Chicago has pretty nasty traffic. Moreover, the interesting neighborhoods in north Chicago--this is subjective, of course, but I'd include the Ukrainian Village, Lincoln Square, maybe Wicker Park or Lakeview--are just too far away from the law school.

[scat_cat]

Oh, and the South Loop is awful. A weird, high-rise moonscape with almost no ground-level retail. If you must, do Printer's Row.

[Transferthrowaway]

Here comes the HP defender!

Whether you'll like HP depends very much on what you're looking for in a neighborhood. In my experience, people who are used to suburbs hate HP--it's a little too gritty. But other people's milage varies enormously. I adore HP and I'm going to miss it. It has beautiful, interesting architecture and a lot of trees and parks, it's right on the lake, it's bike friendly, it's hugely diverse (I'm taking race and family status; economically it's actually a pretty wealthy area), there's an abundance of very cheap entertainment options for students (especially classical concerts, theater, and movies), and cost of living is low (except for groceries, which are weirdly expensive). Don't live in Regents.

I'm from somewhere with terrific nightlife, and HP does not have that, but there are two bars packed with grad students and one that's got a nutty, entertaining clientele. The bar scene in the rest of Chicago is pretty fratty and lame, anyway: too many big-screen TVs, weak pours, lame beer selection (with some notable but scattered exceptions).

I will admit that HP has terrible restaurants and the rest of Chicago is full of good restaurants. But you are a student and won't be able to afford to eat out all the time anyway.

I'm just incredulous whenever anyone without an SO thinks they want to live outside HP for the first year. The commute isn't worth it. It's harder to read on buses than trains, and if you take Metra from downtown you'll have to walk a ways in addition to the train. Plus the student body just refused to pay for a transit pass, so you'll have to shell out for the commute. It's impossible to read in a car and Chicago has pretty nasty traffic. Moreover, the interesting neighborhoods in north Chicago--this is subjective, of course, but I'd include the Ukrainian Village, Lincoln Square, maybe Wicker Park or Lakeview--are just too far away from the law school.

As the white knight of HP, can you give me advice on where I can live that is extremely close to the LS? I'd prefer apartment/house, but I'm even considering that graduate housing next door. I'm just neurotic about being within quick walking distance of the school.

[scat_cat]

My advice is NOT to live extremely close to the law school--a few blocks north is safer and there's more retail. The exercise you get walking or biking to school is great, and you can always take one of the free shuttles. The closest I'd live is 58th, probably, on the pretty residential side east of campus, which is also near the 57th street commercial area (and the delicious sandwich place Z&H). Better: 55th (on the 171 bus line). The university's grad student housing can be quite nice, especially in the area between 51st and 53rd (on the 172 bus line).

Get a bike--having one makes everything in HP close.

[tycho_brahe]

chicago traffic might be terrible, but the commute (by car) to hyde park from the northern neighborhoods (ukrainian village at least) is not. it's a reverse commute, takes about a half an hour.